Out In The Open
by The Mominator
Summary: After their mother’s death, Bobby and Frank go out for a drink. Memories and heartaches, revealed. Post Ep to End Game.


**Out in the Open**

It has been ten days since his mother's death. Friends and family, he hasn't seen in twenty years, have stopped visiting offering their condolences. _Time to get back to work and my life. _He is sitting in a darkened room, the quiet is appealing. He closes his eyes and the doorbell startles him. He shakes his head, _who the hell can that be?_

It seems later but as he gets up from the chair, he notices the time, _7 o'clock_. The buzzer sounds again. "Alright I'm coming." He opens the door, "Hey Bobby."

"Frank, come on in." He steps aside to let his brother pass.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Frank says. He turns to face him, "Forget to pay your electric bill?"

He chuckles, "No I was just sitting and was too lazy to get up and put the lights on." He flips a switch, "Better?"

Nodding Frank says, "Yes, thank you. Now I can see where the hell I'm walking," he walks further into the room. Silence fills the air as Bobby resumes his seat, "Come on man sit down."

"Thanks…………you know I was thinking, I…we need a night out."

"A night out? Where?"

"Anywhere, you look like you could use a drink and I well…. it's been a while since………"

"Ah…………. I don't know."

"Come on man," Frank stands. "Where can we walk to, there has to be a bar around here."

"Murphy's is around the corner," he hesitates. "Ah alright, come on let's go." He stands as he eyes his brother up and down, "You're gonna go out like that?"

Frank lifts up his tie, smirks as he looks down at his suit. "It's the only suit I own."

Bobby grabs his brother by the lapels and pulls him forward, "Lose the tie, you look like a dork." He laughs.

Frank loosens the tie, removes it and stuffs it in his pocket; he extends his arms, "Better."

Bobby tilts his head, "Yeah I suppose." He slaps him on the back. "Come on," he lightly pushes him forward. "Am I to gather that you have no money?"

Frank digs in his pocket, pulls out a twenty, and waves it in his brother's face. "It was my idea, I'll buy the first round."

Murphy's is a typical neighborhood tavern. When the men walk in heads turn and a few of the faces are familiar to Bobby, he always remembers faces; he nods to them as he and Frank take a seat at the bar. "Hey guys," the bartender wipes the area in front of them with a towel, and then he looks up. "Holy shit, Bobby, Bobby and Frank, what the hell are you guys doing in here……….together?"

Frank gazes at the man. He does not recognize him. "Kenny." Bobby laughs, "Wow Kenny Tyler, I didn't know you worked here." The men shake hands.

"Yeah Saturday nights, I needed another job, child support payments are killing me." He moves the towel across the bar, "I heard about your mom from Gus Vincent, sorry guys,"

"Thanks," they say in unison.

"Hey let me buy you guys a drink…………..shots and beer?"

Franks nods quickly, Bobby frowns; Kenny catches his eye, "What's the matter?"

Bobby looks to his brother and then back at Kenny, "Shots and beer, shit I'll be on the floor in an hour." He laughs, "Alright, I know I'm going to regret this but what the hell."

Kenny pours two beers and places the mugs in front of them. Bobby can sense his brother staring at him, Frank whispers, "Are you going tell me who he is?" He looks at the man and shakes his head, "Because I have no clue to who he is."

"Take the cobwebs out of that brain on yours, you went to school with him," Bobby takes a sip of beer. "Do you remember about a million years ago when we were kids that one of the kids in the neighborhood had a party?" He drinks down the shot, "Whoa, that burns." Takes another quick sip of beer, "But the thing about the party was that his parents where away and by the time the cops were called it was estimated that at least 200 kids where there, needless to say the place was trashed."

Frank nods, "Yeah I remember that." He looks at his brother, "I was there," Frank's eyes widen. He points at him, "And so were you."

Bobby rubs his face, "Man I thought I was going to die the next day." He turns to face his brother and grins, "Mom thought we both had the flu, denial on her part that we could or would do anything like that."

Nodding his head Frank says, "Yes, yes I remember that." He down his shot and coughs, "I wasn't even eighteen yet and you." He pushes him, "Were fourteen I remember because the next week we went to Palisades Park for your birthday."

_My birthday._

Kenny refills the shot glasses, "Remember when I asked you about that guy Mark and you called him Uncle Mark."

Frank takes a quick sip of beer, "Of course I remember. It was only a couple of weeks ago, what about him?"

Bobby downs the shot and noisily sets the glass down, "Do you remember ever seeing Uncle Mark in the morning?"

"If that's supposed to be a joke, it's not funny."

"No I'm very serious," he grabs his brother's arm." Well, do you?"

"No…….No, Mom wouldn't."

He finishes the remaining beer in the mug, "Yes she would." Catches Kenny's eye for a refill, "And she did."

Frank slaps his brother's arm. "Don't talk like that," he shakes his head. "Not Mom, no way."

"Thanks Kenny," he looks over at his brother. "Now who's in denial?"

Frank leans forward and places his arms on the bar, and intertwines his fingers, "She told you this."

"Not in so many words," Bobby takes out his wallet and places a twenty on the bar. He stands; Frank grabs his arm, "Are you leaving already?"

"No I have to take a leak, I'll be right back."

When Bobby returns, Frank is holding his face in his hands; Bobby pats him on the back, "What's the matter?"

He sits up, "What was her excuse?" He downs the shot.

"She blamed Dad and then Dad blamed her and the two of them………….neither one of them took responsibility for their behavior." He picks up his beer mug, "And she…"

"And she what?"

_Now's not the time._

"Bobby, you didn't finish your sentence."

He sits down and waves his hand, "Another time, not now………….you know what?" He picks up a few singles from the money on the bar, "We need some music in here." Moment's later music fills the tavern. "Wow I haven't heard that song in a while, good choice man."

They order another round and decide to play a game of darts, with Frank winning by a cork. After the game, they resume their seats at the bar. "We have to do this more often Bobby."

"I'd like that, I'd like that a lot."

"Hey guys," Kenny says. "Another round?"

Bobby leans forward, "Yeah but omit the shots this time."

Frank notices his brother staring, "What?"

"It's your turn to put money on the bar," he bends his head down to catch his eye. "Please tell me that you have more money somewhere." Frank shakes his head, "No I don't. I…I…was………….."

"Why are you stuttering?" Bobby places his elbow on the bar and rests his head on his hand. "Who and how much do you owe?"

"No one man I swear, all my debts are paid up."

"When you asked about Mom's financial state, where you looking for money?"

Frank lowers his head, "How long has that question been roaming around in that head of yours?"

"Ever since you asked, come on be honest with me."

"No I was just curious."

Bobby smiles and rubs his face, "You know." "I deal with sociopath, psychopaths and the some of the most heart less people ever put on this earth." He takes a quick sip of beer. "And I have become good at getting them to tell me the truth," he chuckles. "But I still can't tell if my big brother is lying to me."

Frank twirls the mug around in his hands, lifts his head and looks his brother straight in the eye, "I was just wondering if she had anything, anything to give us, most parents do that, you know."

"You have a point," Bobby slaps him on the back. "Hey Frank I have a great idea."

Frank takes a short sip of beer, "What?"

"Get a job you lazy piece of shit."

"Not now Bobby please I don't lectures from my _little_ brother."

He points at him holding the beer mug, "You know I always hated the way you say that, like you own me."

Frank slams his fist on the bar, "I watched out for you."

Bobby scoffs, "When? When was that?"

"I can't………"

"Yeah you can't, because it was never," Bobby taps the empty mug on the bar. "You know what I remember, how you always told me to shut up or it's none of my business, things like that."

"You want to know why I said those things to you," he says sternly. "Because I didn't want you to ask him; damn you were always so friggin' nosy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Almost every night, you remember the arguing. Well before you were the one to sit on the top step and listen, I use to do that."

"Really I didn't know that."

Frank finishes his beer, "The fights were always about the same thing but some nights he would come home drunk and he was not a nice man when he drank he was down right mean." Bobby nods his head, "I remember him stumbling in the house some nights."

Frank exhales and taps the bar with his beer mug. Kenny gives each man a refill. "After Mom would go to bed, he knew." Frank waves his finger in the air. "He knew I was listening and he would come into my room and…use me as a punching bag. I can still see the look on his face, he needed to hit someone and I guess he figured," he shrugs his shoulders. "One thing though……….he never hit me in the face………" Frank rubs his eyes.

"Jesus Frank, I'm sorry." Bobby puts his arm around his shoulder. "I just remembered something, the beach, that's why when we would go to the beach, sometimes you would wear your t-shirt in the water, oh man I'm so sorry, I never knew, did Mom?"

"I hope not…………….because she never said anything to me about it," Frank wipes his eyes with a napkin. "That's enough of memory lane for one night."

Bobby chuckles and shakes his head, "Oh man." Frank hits him, "What the hell…. Are you freakin' nuts or what?"

Bobby picks up his mug, "A toast." Frank gives him a puzzled look, "Come on man pick up your mug."

Frank picks up the mug, "Ok a toast. A toast to what?"

"To us."

"To us?"

Bobby continues, "You know I meet families like ours everyday and it amazes me that neither one of us is in jail." He smiles. "You've had your problems," Bobby grabs his brother by the back of the neck. "But all in all I think we've done pretty well for ourselves." _I'll get through this, I'll survive._

He puffs out his chest. "We are who we are and since we can't change the past… anyway a toast to you and me." Frank has to laugh, they cling their mugs.

**The End**


End file.
